


Courting Her

by awritesrated



Series: The Star in a Sea of Sin [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Animal Instincts, Courting Rituals, F/M, Mating Rituals, Nesting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2020-12-09 03:41:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awritesrated/pseuds/awritesrated
Summary: Chloe unknowingly initiates a courting ritual with Lucifer. Lucifer struggles to hide it from her.





	1. Chapter 1 - Touch

“It’s weird!” Chloe Decker exclaimed. 

She is sitting on the sofa, in front of Doctor Linda Martin, reiterating what happened in the precinct for the past week. 

“It’s like he is treating me like a trophy, but there isn’t anything to show off! You know the type of guys who like to show their hot girlfriends off after they sleep with them? Yea it felt like that. He touched me almost constantly, if it’s not a hand to my back, then brushes when against my hands. It’s unnerving, and uncomfortable, and unusual!” Chloe ranted along, taking a breath only after she’s finished. 

Linda smiled soothingly, and asked, “Did you tell him how you feel? Lucifer is a lot of things, and I know he never really _listens_, but he never ignores _your_ feelings, Chloe. I’m sure if you tell him…”

“I did!” Chloe interrupted, more loudly than she intended, “then he looked at me like I shot him in the gut!” And she buried her face in her hands in distress. 

**A week ago**

“Detective!” Lucifer strode into the precinct smiling widely as usual. Even though just a few weeks ago they kissed for the first time after she knew, after she told him she accepted him as who he is, Devil or not, he disappeared to god-knows-where for a week, and reappeared, being so sweet and attentive to her that she couldn’t help but kiss him again. Now he just walks in like nothing happened. He plopped himself down onto the chair he situated to the right of Chloe’s desk, and sat leaning towards the Detective, his hand resting lightly, _naturally_, on her right arm. 

“So what do we have today? A murder of passion? Revenge killing? _Gang fight?_” He manages to sound exceptionally excited about that last point. Chloe sighed in mock frustration as she answered him.

“No, Lucifer. There isn’t any case yet. And you shouldn’t wish for cases. It means something bad has happened.” She admonished the Devil, but he only grinned. 

“But where’s the fun in that?” He didn’t really want something bad to happen, but if it meant that he could spend less time with the Detective, he would rather they find someone they need to help soon. He got his wish, anyway, because right after he said that, the Lieutenant came over to inform them of a new case. 

Lucifer slid his palm down the Detective’s lower back and gently guided her towards her car as they made their way to the garage. The Detective angled her head so she could take a glance at Lucifer, puzzled about why he was so odd this day. 

It went on for the whole week, a little brush here, a tiny stroke there. It finally got on her nerves. She’s taken diminishing remarks from men since young, but for Lucifer, her partner, to show her off, parading her around like a trophy, like she _belongs_ to him, she just couldn’t accept it. If this is just an experiment about whether she could accept his...Devil-ness, then she is so done with this.

“Will you _stop_ _touching_ me? If you’re going to keep doing this, then go home. I don’t need another guy only interested in fulfilling his curiosity.” She snapped. He recoiled, and removed his hands originally on her shoulders as if they were burnt, and a hurt expression flashed his features before he schooled them back to his neutral expression.

“Okay.” He said, and left without another word, leaving Chloe to stare at his back in anger. How dare he act like he’s hurt when she’s been trying her best to tolerate his assuming actions for the whole week?

**Present Day**

Linda sat back on her seat as she processed what Chloe had told her. It _is _odd behaviour for the Devil. Lucifer loves sex, but he is also very fixated with his idea of free will. His feelings for the Detective should have stopped him from doing anything the Detective might be uncomfortable about. This makes no sense at all. 

Especially now, when he is finally able to reach his happiness, why would he do anything to jeopardise that? Linda knows from her talks with Lucifer that he is not the kind who assumes, not with his low self-esteem and very high level of self-hatred.

The two closest woman in the Devil’s life sat in the doctor’s office contemplating the oddness of their resident Devil before they left together, Linda to her house, and Chloe to hers.

Lucifer never appeared again for the next two days, and Chloe scowled at the empty seat on the third morning, feeling his absence stronger than before. Her phone pinged with the information of a new case however, and almost as an instinct, she opens the chat with Lucifer and texted him the address of the crime scene. 

_I’ll be there in 10_. 

Short and succinct, but clearly transmitting his desire to be at the Detective’s side as soon as possible. Chloe furrowed her brows as she thought just what is going on with her Devil.

He was already there when she reached the crime scene, it was at the curb of the road, a young blonde teenage boy was shot in the head and in his chest, causing an instant death. Lucifer was looming above Ella, listening to the cheerful chatter of how the young blonde must have been listening to music, hence not noticing someone shooting behind him and causing all the store windows to be shattered before they hit him in the back of his skull. The attacker must have walked up to him and shot him in his chest to make sure he’s dead. 

Chloe made her presence known by walking up to them, and Lucifer beamed at her, leaving her breathless at his obvious excitement at her proximity. If he wants to be around her so much, then why didn’t he appear for two whole days? Not even a text or call from him! She stepped forwards until she is standing by the teenage boy’s corpse, studying the boy and looking for clues, deciding to ignore the big Lucifer-shaped problem for the moment. 

She expected things to go back to normal, but she couldn’t help but notice how oddly he holds himself in her vicinity. When she touches his arm to get his attention, he startled and jumped, turning wide surprised eyes on her and making her think she’s hit him instead of just placing her hand on his arm. He relaxed after a few moments, but the incident stuck in Chloe’s mind. 

Throughout the day, Lucifer continued to hover around her, seemingly keeping her in the centre of wherever he moves, never straying far, but for some reason, he never reached towards her. Not once. Oh sure, he had moments where he looked like he wanted to reach out to her, but he visibly caught himself halfway through the action and aborted it with a painful expression on his face. 

Chloe was going to call him out on it, but she never got the chance for a motorcycle rode straight up to the blocked roads, and the rider pulled out a gun and started firing in their direction as he drove past. Lucifer instinctively pulled Chloe down to the ground to avoid the fire, and then the next minute he is pulling the motorcyclist from the bike. It seems like he teleported, but Chloe knew he actually…flew. It still felt really heavy just thinking about what she knew exists now, but she’s doing better, she thinks. The sessions with Linda helped too. 

Lucifer pinned the motorcyclists on the side of the road, angrily screaming at him about how he almost hurt the Detective, and Chloe scrambled to put a hand on his arm, telling him to let the person go. She called for a few unis to take the man into custody, keeping her hand on Lucifer’s arm. He is unusually quiet since he let the motorcyclist go, which is terribly uncharacteristic of him. She peered at him, and he swallowed. He’s…afraid…of what? Chloe decides maybe he should go home and calm down.

“No…no please, I didn’t mean to.” He starts to say, and Chloe decides he must have been unnerved by the whole situation, what with her being almost shot. His protective instincts must be flaring up. He should put some distance between the two of them right now. 

“Go home, Lucifer.” She told him firmly and turned away, focusing on the case and the recent shooting they were subjected to. 

**Session with Linda**

“So you sent him home?” Linda said contemplatively. 

“Well, yea. He seemed really out of sorts, you know. I didn’t want him doing anything else rash.” Chloe said. Linda was silent for a while, deeply in thought, and Chloe checked her phone again to see if Lucifer has contacted her at all. He hasn’t. Just like the last time, he didn’t text or call her after she told him to go home. 

Linda sat up suddenly and gasped, drawing Chloe’s attention. 

“What?” Chloe frowned at the doctor’s wordless exclamation. 

“I think…” She started, then paused, then glanced at Chloe before continuing, “you know how he fell right?” Chloe nodded.

“He told me when I asked him what actually happened. He said all he did was ask God if he could live as he wanted, creating the stars he wanted to create without a blueprint already given to him, flying in the clouds and having fun with his newest creation, which is us humans I think. But God told him no, and told his other children to throw him out, and send him to hell. At least that’s what he told me.” Chloe’s heart clenched at the memory of his telling. His eyes so full of hurt and sorrow, and a loneliness no one could ever compare. 

“Yes, that’s what he told me too. Then I think, I know what is going on. Partly…at least.” Linda announced. Chloe looked at her expectantly, and Linda launched into her speculation.

“He was sent to hell because of his father, his family, being upset with him. And it was due to such a trivial thing too. I think…that he, for whatever reason, likes to touch you constantly. Considering his history, he must be extremely touch-starved, so I’m not surprised. But the first time you got angry at him, you sent him home. And he didn’t try contacting you in the two days you were apart. Which is uncharacteristic for him as well, because I _know_ he is annoyingly good at texting you every hour. He does it even when he is doing other things, like when he was having a session with me, for one. I can only assume he thinks it was an exile, then you sending him home was a punishment not unlike his fall, and that he had to wait for you to forgive him and ask him to come back.” Linda paused here, allowing Chloe to digest Linda’s conjecture. 

She waited for Chloe to nod at her before continuing. “The second time you sent him home, you said he practically begged to stay. If I’m right, then that means that in his mind, he has just gained another punishment from you, for the exact same reason. I assume he had to touch you when he pulled you down during the gun fire?” 

Chloe nodded. “Then he probably thinks he is being punished for touching you when you specifically requested he to not do so. That will also explain why he keeps reaching out to you and aborting the action halfway through. He probably _is_ desperate to touch you, but didn’t want to break your rule, so he made himself stop.” 

Chloe sat silently, her mind a mess. Why… “Why would he do what I say? He always does whatever he wants.” Chloe asked, baffled. 

Linda thought about it before asking, “Has he gone against your wishes ever since you knew about him, Chloe?” 

The Detective shook her head no with a gasp. It’s true that he didn’t. In fact, whatever she asked for, he provided for or found a way to make it happen. She still remembered that time she asked why there isn’t a more comfortable couch in her life. He literally had a new one delivered to her doorstep in 2 hours. 

“So you’re saying, that all this time, he has been thinking that he wasn’t allowed to come find me or contact me? That he was sent into exile until I think he is punished enough? _Why_ would he do that?” Chloe s now more distressed than before. She shouldn’t have sent him home at all! There were so many different ways to deal with the situations both times, why did she keep sending him home? She pulled her hair in frustration, annoyed that she didn’t figure it out sooner. 

“I can only assume, Chloe. I’m not certain this is what he is actually thinking. You’ll have to ask him yourself.” Linda told her. “In fact, I highly recommend you ask him directly. He is more truthful when you’re the one asking. Why don’t you tell him to meet you at work tomorrow. Then think about what you want to ask him when you see him. Prepare yourself a little.” 

It sounded like a very good idea. So she immediately took her phone out and sent her partner a text. He replied almost instantly, making her wince.

_Thank you. I won’t be late._

He has never thanked her for telling him to go to work. It lends some credit to Linda’s theory, and Chloe’s heart plummeted to the ground. She’s hurt the one person she loves more than anything, and that makes her slightly dizzy. She thanked her doctor friend, exited the room and went home almost on auto-pilot. She went through the motions in a haze, and finally went to sleep thinking: I won’t ever send him home again.

The next day, he was early, sitting at his seat sipping a cup of coffee. Beside him on Chloe’s desk sat another mug of coffee, which smells exactly how she liked it. She walked over, and Lucifer, having heard her steps, turned around and smiled widely. 

“Detective!” How delighted he looked at her presence, as if she is the gift and he is the pauper. She stepped forward, right into his personal space, looming over him, and he leant as far back into his chair, almost sinking into it as she did so. He _is _avoiding touching her. 

“Detective? Something wrong?” He asked, eyes widened with anxiety and with the effort to strain as far back as he could. Before she could respond, however, someone bumped into her back, and she fell right into Lucifer’s arms. Both of them gasped at the impact, only one of the gasps was filled with horror while the other is filled with surprise. 

Chloe righted herself quickly, and looked back at Lucifer. But he looked absolutely distraught. He trembled, eyes widened and hands gripping onto his mug like it was his lifeline. How the mug of coffee even survived the incident was beyond her, but she chocked it up to the area of her mind where she stores things-Lucifer-can-do-that-is-impossible. She opened her mouth to reassure him, but he beat her to it.

“_Detective, _I…I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry! Please…please don’t…don’t send me home. I won’t dare do it again, I promise!” Chloe stared at him, the undeniable proof trembling before her. Linda was right after all. 

She didn’t send him home, and she tried to explain that she wasn’t serious when she said to not touch her anymore. But Lucifer only smiled back at her and said, “I understand.” Whatever he understood, she does’t know. But that was the least of her problems, because before she could figure out a way to convince him he could touch her, he’s already started buying her pillows…


	2. Chapter 2 - Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer displays some nesting tendencies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This was never meant to be a one-shot. Somehow, I couldn't find out how to create a chapter series without starting out with a one-shot story format first...
> 
> I think it's just me being unable to correctly navigate the website, but sorry for keeping you all waiting. Here's the next installment, and there will be more!

No, pillows is not even covering it. Chloe’s house is now filled to the brim with fluffy blankets and cushions and pillows. Lucifer has been bringing a comfortable object with him whenever he comes over for the last couple weeks. If that isn’t all that is weird, him still not touching her at all is even weirder. She’s tried explaining to him it was a joke, but it seems he didn’t believe her at all. 

In fact, she didn’t know the extent of his misunderstanding until her next session with Linda.

“I mean, he’s not touching me, like _at all. _Even innocent touch, initiated by _me_, seems to freeze him up.” Before all of this, before she knew he was the Devil, he still touched her normally. A brush against her knuckles, a touch on her arm as comfort or support, these are common at that time. 

Linda furrowed her eye brows in thought, trying to come up with a plausible reason for his reaction. His initial reaction could be explained away with a misunderstanding, but his refusal to believe Chloe when she keeps telling him she didn’t mean it? Going as far as to stop touching her at all? That was extreme, and really unusual for Lucifer. 

“But he touches Trixie all the time, even slammed Dan on his back a few times too, but whenever he’s with me, it’s like there’s this bubble of forcefield preventing me from getting close. Every time I try to move closer, he finds a reason to take several steps back!” Choe threaded her fingers into her hair and pulled in frustration. _What is up with him?_ She thought, feeling that she might never be answered. 

Linda, being the professional she was, steers the topic to her client herself, instead of her other client. 

“How do you feel about this? That Lucifer refuses to touch you?” Chloe looked up at the question, eyes filled with sorrow and guilt, and Linda nodded in response. Chloe hung her head again, sighing in frustration and ruffled her own hair roughly, stressed and feeling too upset for her own sake. 

“Why can’t he…I don’t know, have at least one moment where I can forget the pain he’s constantly in!” She moans sorrowfully. “Why can’t he have a perfect…”

She didn’t get to finish her complain, because the resident Demon barged right in, loudly and rudely, as per normal, and stood right in front of Linda.

“You _promised_ we’d hang out today!” Maze crossed her arms and glared at Linda, though for this level, it’s probably the Demon version of a pout.

“Maze, I’m _having _a _session_ here!” Linda responded, with a pointed nod at the other occupant in the room. The demon whirled around, saw Chloe, smiled showing all her teeth, and threw herself onto the couch right beside Chloe. 

“Right! What are you all talking about?” Linda stared at Maze in disbelief, still unable to get used to the celestial beings’ lack of respect for privacy. Chloe though, had a very different reaction. This is Maze! This is Mazikeen, Lucifer’s right-hand demon, who had been with the Devil for who-knows-how-long. She’s got to understand Lucifer better than anyone. 

“Maze! Gosh, I’ve got something very important to ask you!” Maze only raised one eyebrow, and waited expectantly. Chloe reiterated the whole situation, starting from the beginning, and Maze, for all that she says she is older and stronger than all of her friends, snorted in laughter, clutching her stomach as she tapped her foot down several times amidst laughing. Both Linda and Chloe stared at her as if she was a lunatic, but she couldn’t help it. It was too hilarious, the King of Hell, punished with torture. It has a strange kind of irony and hilarity that she just had to get the laughter out of her system before speaking again.

“_That_ was you?” Maze asked between chuckles. “_You _were the one who made him stay at home? _Well done_! Decker, you have a talent in this!”

“What?! Talent in what?” Silently fuming, Chloe didn’t quite snap at Maze. Chloe was only exasperated in the beginning of Maze’s laughter, but after a while, she became irritated. It was a serious situation, and one of her tribes-mate laughed it off! 

“Torture! You used Lucifer’s weakness, and tortured him!” 

“What?!” Now both Chloe and Linda sound horrified. Torture? How could sending Lucifer home come to this? Maze looked at the two of them, turning her head from Chloe to Linda, and somehow, found the situation even more entertaining. 

“You mean you didn’t know, and _still_ managed to do that to him? Man! Sometimes I underestimate you Decker! You’re not _talented_, you’re a genius!” The other two ladies only stared, stunned and disbelieving, but Maze didn’t notice, too busy telling them how Chloe was such a gifted torturer in detail.

“One of Lucifer’s greatest fear is upsetting his Detective, _especially_ now that you are allowing him to date you. He’s afraid you’ll leave him if you get too upset. But you sent him home to be alone when he upset you. Another of Lucifer’s greatest fear, rejection and loneliness. I mean, he _cannot _stand it when he couldn’t see you. No _wonder_ he was so desperate for company when I went into his penthouse that day! Hahahaha! He practically _begged_ me to stay, _and_ he poured me booze, _without_ taking one himself. Actually, I was there for a couple days, and he didn’t drink, or smoke, or even do anything but sit and mope, holding his phone wherever he go. A thousand scenarios where Chloe broke up with him must have gone through it. I mean, he was having nightmares whenever he managed to fall asleep. See? Torture! Chloe used what Lucifer fears the most against him, just like any good demon torturer would do! Well, on the second day, his phone rang, he read a message, changed and left in a hurry.” 

Flabbergasted, Chloe opened and closed her mouth multiple times, unsure what she could say. Linda, however, was doing much better. 

“Why didn’t he contact Chloe then? If he’s holding his phone everywhere, a simple text should be easy right?” 

“Noooooo…He was being punished. He knew that. He won’t contact Chloe until she releases him.” Maze stated matter-of-factly. 

“I think…I think I’m gonna go home now. Trixie’s waiting for me, and I think Lucifer’s coming today to join us for dinner.” Chloe swallowed noisily before saying. She felt a little light-headed. She didn’t even mean for her actions to be interpreted as a punishment, but now it is actually torture. _No wonder _Lucifer distanced himself, it is probably to protect his bleeding heart from more damage. _How_ did she get into these situations? 

_This is all your fault, you know_? Chloe looked up at the sky, and _thought_ at the one guy who caused all this problems. He couldn’t talk about it like any other mature parents, he couldn’t let Lucifer explain, nooooo that was _beneath_ him. He _had to_ throw him down and _ordered_ his other son to pierce him through his chest and slam him down to hell. Chloe narrowed her eyes at the sky, _if you do anything to make this any worse than it is now, I will slap you. I don’t care how powerful or omniscient you are, you will feel the humiliation, you bastard._

Chloe seethed, way past thinking how her thoughts might bring down a lightning charge right on her head, but it didn’t happen, and when she thought back to this minute hours later, she realised that God might have regretted it too. 

* * *

Chloe walked into her house to the sight of two people, one very young and one very _very_ old, standing in a row in front of the couch (well, behind, if it’s Chloe point of view) and very clearly hiding something behind themselves. She narrowed her eyes at them, and Lucifer fidgeted with discomfort. 

“Trix, it’s way past your bed time. Why don’t you go get ready for bed, and I’ll be up to tuck you in later.” She told her daughter, her eyes never leaving Lucifer. Lucifer met her eyes for a moment, before looking at the couch in front of him, his posture turned from shocked and flustered to dejected in under a second. The little Decker looked at both the adults multiple times before stopping at Lucifer’s face, a silent concern covering her features, and with Lucifer’s slight nod and small smile, she replied her mother with an “Okay!” and went up to her room. 

Chloe eyed Lucifer for another few moments before walking around the couch to see what Lucifer had behind him. He turned to try and hide it again, but Chloe’s soft “Don’t…” froze him, and he remained in his position rigidly. Chloe’s heart clenched at the implication of his compliance. She shouldn’t have this much power, she shouldn’t have this amount of sway. But she did, and she gulped. She looked at what he was clutching tightly in his fingers, and saw her own pillow, halfway squeezed into a brand new pillowcase. She recognised it because of the little spot of discolouring where she drooled on for years. 

“Lucifer!” And he jumped, literally. He whirled around to face her, face incredibly pale. She stared at him disapprovingly. Whatever he was going through, it was still wrong to barge into her privacy. Her bedroom was off limits unless with her permission, he_ knew_ that! 

“You _went_ into my bedroom and _took_ my pillow? I _told_ you…”

“I know! I know…I didn’t go into your room! Truly!” Lucifer is full-blown panicking now. His surprise is unsurprisingly going rather badly, he’s not sure why he even did it now that he’s seeing the results. Angering the Detective had been the furthest from his mind, but somehow, he’s done it again. He was going to be sent home for another couple days, he just knew it. The Detective looked angrier than the other two times he’s managed to make her mad, he’ll probably be exiled for a good whole week. Chloe eyed Lucifer suspiciously, and Lucifer’s heart raced. He stumbled over his words as he tried to explain, though he is not sure how the Detective might take his actions. He _is _still infringing on her privacy even though he didn’t technically enter her room, and he _knew_ how much the Detective valued her personal space. It’s the reason why she was so mad when he touched her too much, wasn’t it? 

“I asked your offspring to take them and bring them out.” He chanced a glance at Chloe, “I also made her a bargain so she would change your bedsheets for me.” He looked back down to her toes, where they wriggled in agitation and were so much less terrifying than the Detective’s face. 

“How is that any better?!” She didn’t quite scream, but managed to convey her feelings as effectively. Lucifer stopped breathing, and Chloe sighed in exasperation. “I’m going to settle Trixie in, _then_ we’re gong to talk. You’re going to stay _here_, until we finish talking. Do I make myself clear?” She swears she’s dealing with more than one kid in this house currently, and went up to tuck her daughter in after she heard Lucifer softly responding with a “Yes, Detective.” 

She came back half an hour later, and saw the Devil in the exact same spot, only instead of holding himself rigidly, he was slouching and scuffing his toes into the floor. She sighed and approached him. She sat down and patted the space on her left, and he followed suit. 

“So, tell me, what are you trying to do?” She asked after it became clear Lucifer wouldn’t be starting the conversation himself. She saw his Adam’s apple slide up and down, before hearing his slightly hoarse explanation. 

“I just…I wanted to…you were…” He shook his head in frustration, and Chloe got impatient. She was already bone tired, and coming home to this wasn’t how she intended to spend her evenings. 

“Get to the point!” She said, and Lucifer flinched and shrank into the couch. She regretted her impatience immediately, but she couldn’t take her remark back. She did gain better results though, because Lucifer, wanting to staunch her ire, began to explain his actions swiftly and without pausing for breath.

“I wanted to surprise you! You you you were complaining about bad nights, and I thought better pillowcases and bedsheet would help. So I asked the spawn to help me with it.” Oh…he did it out of concern, and that dispersed her irateness vastly. She sat and thought, for a while, what she should say. The pillowcases are fine, and they’re not harming anyone, so she thinks she’s fine about it, and let it go. But the issue with his “_torture_” is still weighing heavily in her heart, and she just had to discuss it with him now. Before she could say anything though, Lucifer had already misinterpreted her answer. 

“Could…” He started, “could I maybe…may I…only be punished for a…a couple days?”

“What?” She choked out. 

“I just…I know you’re so angry, and it’s my fault for touching your things, I know, but I don’t think…I can take…more than a couple days.” He pleaded with her.

Chloe denied the need for any punishment at all, without thinking or any hesitation, “No…Lucifer…” 

Lucifer took one glimpse at her apologetic face, and his face fell. _She’s going to send me home for weeks. Months! What do I do? What do I do! I cannot deal with another exile. Not now, when…I can’t breathe…why can’t I breathe?_

Lucifer gasped for air he wasn’t taking in, no matter how hard he tried, and Chloe, bless her heart, tried her very best to calm him down. But her every action was misinterpreted, for when she touched him, he struggled to get away for fear of being held accountable for touching her. When she told him to calm down, he panicked for not being able to do as she asks immediately. Chloe flustered and panicked, and finally decided to call Maze for help just as Lucifer’s eyes started losing their sight. 

“Maze! What do I do? Lucifer’s having trouble breathing!” She uttered into the phone while looking at Lucifer slowly slumping form. He’s losing consciousness, and she didn’t dare touch him. 

“He’ll be fine, he doesn’t need oxygen to live.” Maze told her, but Chloe’s worries didn’t dissipate. 

“Even if he’s around me?” Chloe asked hesitatingly. They still didn’t know all the aspects of her effect on Lucifer, and that makes all of them nervous whenever something dangerous happens to him. Lucifer is unconscious now.

“I’ll call Amenadiel. We might need him.” Maze put down the phone before Chloe could answer, and the Detective could now only helplessly look at Lucifer as she waited for them to arrive. 

* * *

“Decker!” Maze threw the front door open, and strode right in, followed by Amenadiel and Linda. Chloe looked at Linda curiously, and the Doctor shrugged and mouthed the words “we were shopping” to her. Right, they were hanging out after her session today. Chloe pointed to the couch, and they all leaned over the back of the couch to see Lucifer lying sideways, eyes closed, seemingly calm, but with sweat constantly oozing out his forehead. 

“What happened?” Amenadiel asked, and Maze and Linda both looked at Chloe expectantly, and Chloe told him everything that happened since the beginning of this whole problem.

“You’re saying…that my brother has been touching you a lot?” He had an expression that said he might know what Is going on, but unwilling to consider it.

“Well, yes, at first. But not anymore. Now he goes out of his way to avoid touching me.” Chloe said, trying hard to calm herself and answer Amenadiel’s questions patiently. Even though the answers to his questions were in her explanation previously, even though he is just wasting time confirming things she has already told him.

“Okay…and he buys you pillows and cushions and blankets?” 

“Yes…look around, there’s a permanent fort in front of the TV over there.” She growled in impatience and and re-confirmed the information again.

“…” Amenadiel’s expression is now one of disbelief and…envy…or something. Chloe is not inapt at recognising emotions on celestial beings, but envy sounds too far-fetched for an angel.

“What?!” All three ladies exclaimed at varying degrees of volumes. 

“He’s performing a courting ritual.”


	3. Chapter - Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Detective finds out what is going on with Lucifer recently.

** Chapter 3 - Singing **

“He’s what?” Chloe choked out, feeling as disoriented and out of it as she looked. Amenadiel looked at her with pity, and tried to explain. 

“You must have initiated the ritual somehow. To start the ritual, he must have received something he wanted very much. Did you give him something he would think is very important before this behaviour started?” Amenadiel asked. 

Chloe thought back to all the times they were together following his reveal as the Devil, and came up blank. The whole time, Lucifer has been the one buying things for her, and giving her gifts, she’d shamelessly only taken, and had never given anything. She shook her head in answer.

Amenadiel’s frown deepened at that information.

“Once the ritual have been initiated, we would have a constant need to be near our intended, and we will have a strong need to touch our intended as well. Lucifer…might not know what he is doing. He is one of the oldest, but he was casted out before the first mated couple appeared at home. He wouldn’t have known what it meant. Or else he wouldn’t have wanted to go through with it, a successful ritual would have bound him to you for all eternity. He is too selfish and too invested in his so called free will to ever be interested in that.” 

Chloe bristled at what he implied, that Lucifer might be reluctant to share a future with herself. He _chose _to date her, he _chose_ to give her monogamy, he even _chose_ to promise her his never-ending love. What does Amenadiel know about love anyway, Chloe thought almost mulishly. She kept her thoughts to herself though, because she needed a lot more information. Thankfully, Linda asked the right question at the right time.

“What does the ritual entail?” 

Amenadiel shifted his attention to the doctor and said, “The ritual calls for a need to provide for the intended. So the mate’s happiness is the crux of the matter. Lucifer will want to make Chloe here as happy and contented as he could, so he will do all that he can to achieve that. But it also calls for certain behavioural traits. Like wanting to make Chloe and any children of hers comfortable, so he bought pillows and blankets. He’ll want to sing and dance with you next, it’s to show you he can give you joy. Next would be to prove he could provide for you, so he’ll want to show you his ability to hunt for food, or in this context, he’ll probably want to cook. In between all of that, he’ll need to touch you constantly to remind himself he is still in the running as a potential mate. Since you’ve rejected his touch, he’ll be torn between the desire to touch you, and the desire to keep you happy. Anything you ask of him in this period would be something he cannot refuse. He will essentially be unequipped to refuse you anything and cause you any form of discontent. So he will find ways to achieve whatever it is you want him to achieve.”

“How about the punishment? Why would he take any punishment from me? What you said only tells me he would be unable to refuse me anything, but he seemed to think he deserved the punishment more than just bending to my wishes.”

“I…don’t know…it is odd that he is reacting this way…he’s right about deserving it anyway…but that’s odd because he never thinks that.” Amenadiel replied contemplatively, “But I have to warn you. Whatever happens, _do not_ touch his wing, or let him put anything that carries his scent around you.”

“Why?” Chloe narrowed her eyes at him, feeling inexplicably furious with his blatant disregard for his brother, _the better brother_, and her righteous anger couldn’t be dowsed by his utterly unnecessary warning.

“You wouldn’t want to accept his courtship. It would mean an eternity with the Devil. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.” Amenadiel narrowed his eyes as he looked at Chloe significantly. Maze jumped in then, and pushed Amenadiel out the door literally, saying, “Okay! We’ve got this! You can go now!” 

Linda was biting her lips and thinking deeply, and Chloe has started to pace the length of the living room. Both of them thinking of the same thing, that Lucifer’s reactions to Chloe’s sending him home might very well be a case of past trauma overlapping with instincts Lucifer didn’t know he had. His fear of rejection, amplified by his past experiences, has made him absolutely unable to control his instincts, especially those he didn’t know he had until now. 

A whimper sounded in the couch’s direction, and Chloe swerved from her pacing path to Lucifer’s side and sat down beside him, threading her fingers through his hair, soothing him with a repetitive “It’s okay, you’re okay…that’s it. Just sleep.” 

It was heartbreaking to see how Lucifer relaxes almost instantly whenever she’s touching him when he’s unconscious, but when he’s aware, he jumps a mile away. It is a reaction to her anger, she knows, and she so much guiltier than before. Maze said it was torture before, because she used his weakness against him. Now she knows it was worse than that, because he doesn’t have any idea what is going on, yet he is experiencing all these instincts, and for some reason he’s unable to fathom, she’d forbidden him from acting on them. He has to be feeling so lost and afraid. Chloe couldn’t help but sympathise with is situation now. She resolved to letting him have body contact with her as much as possible. 

Lucifer snuffled adorably, burrowing into the couch. It seemed like he is no longer unconscious, but merely catching up on the sleep he must have lost in the hellish week he must have had. He absent-mindedly kissed and snuggled into her palm when she slid her hand close enough to his lips, and she gasped at the sweet moment, slightly moved by Lucifer’s subconscious actions. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at Linda, and Linda looked back at her with shining eyes of her own, both of them deeply affected by what Amenadiel’s revelations meant. Lucifer loves her…so so much, and Chloe knew Lucifer enough to know he would have gone through with the courtship even if he knows what is happening. She knew because of how Lucifer died for her multiple times already, she knew because of how Lucifer brings her the perfect coffee even though Dan had never gotten it right. She knew because he has admitted to her with his actions again and again. He loves her, she knew that. She smiled, as tremulous as it is with the amount of trembling going around her body, it was a joyous one regardless. 

Maze came back into the house after making Amenadiel leave, standing by the couch and staring contemplatively at her former master. 

“So, he’s alright now?” She asked Linda, having the sound of mind to leave the two lovebirds in their invisible bubble of contentment. Linda smiled at her, chuckling a little, and answered positively before suggesting they continued their shopping trip. They weren’t directly involved in the situation, and the Detective and Devil would need to have some privacy to discuss everything.

They left quietly, and Chloe, as focused on Lucifer as she was, didn’t notice. All she had eyes for were the Devil lying on her couch, occasionally letting out a deep breath and tickling her palm still placed on his cheek tenderly. Chloe giggled at the sensation, enjoying the moment where Lucifer seemed at ease with her. She stared at Lucifer a while longer, before she finally conceded she’ll need to lie down to get comfortable. She stretched her body along Lucifer’s, tangling her legs between his and carding her hands through his hair, she cradled Lucifer’s head in her neck as she yawned and relaxed, and fell asleep.

Chloe heard a soft melodic sound at the edge of her consciousness, and she hummed in question. The sounds paused, but started up again after a moment. Chloe turned her head towards the sound, and groggily opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw Lucifer’s relaxed face, free from stress and fear, and started as she figured out it was Lucifer humming in her ear. She stroked the back of his head in response, and he paused, but she continued on, and he started up again. He didn’t seem to be aware of what he was doing, looking oddly content and snuggling into the crook of her neck, sniffing at her and kissing her lightly in between notes. 

A dopey smile appeared on Chloe’s face as she realised how sweet Lucifer is when he is asleep. She carefully continued her ministrations at the back of his scalp, stalling his awakening, and keeping him as content as possible. Chloe twisted her head around to squint her eyes at the clock on the wall behind her, and saw that they had slightly over an hour before she had to wake Trixie up and get her ready for school. She sighed and rubbed her cheek against Lucifer’s, settling down and relaxed back into his warmth, letting herself drown in his melodious voice. 

The next time she woke up, it was to Lucifer’s rapid breathing. She frowned as she felt him twisting and turning as if to escape someone, and she naturally lifted her hands to cradle his head and rubbed him soothingly at his neck. It was when he froze that she realised he wasn’t having a nightmare. She lifted her eyelids blearily, and saw her Devil staring up at her with widened eyes, his face becoming blue at the lack of breath.

“Breathe Lucifer, it’s okay.” She told him gently, and he took a deep breath, a couple drop of tears escaping each of his eyes. 

“Oh Lucifer.” Chloe sighed at his torment. She caused this, she knew, and she would always be sad that it ever came to this. She didn’t do anything to cause such a reaction, she knew, in fact, her actions should have caused him to bristle, not reduce him to this trembling of a Devil. Yet, his upbringing has…for lack of a better phrase…_fucked him over_, and it is so difficult to build his self-worth and self-esteem back. Sure he parades his confidence and ego around, yet when it comes to her, she could always tell he’s never sure of her affections. That hurts her more than anything. 

“I’m not angry, shhhh, we’re fine. I promise.” She soothed him, and held him closer, pulling him towards her neck. He trembled against her, and asked her softly, muttering against her skin, “Y..you aren’t? I…I can touch you?” 

“Yes.” She said with conviction, “You can touch me, anytime you want, alright? I won’t get angry, I promise.” Lucifer took a sharp breath at her words, and shifted slightly, and she felt a hand sliding up her torso, trembling, tentative. She kissed Lucifer on his temple, and drops of tears wetted her neck. He’s sniffling into her neck, and she held him tight, mumbling nonsensical soothing words, unsure of their meaning but needing to say something to soothe him somehow, caressing his back and his neck as much as possible, hopefully providing as much touch as he needed. 

They stayed like this for a few moments, and the wetness in her neck eventually dried. She continued kissing him, stroking him and talking to him until his trembling subsided before she got up to a sitting position, pulling Lucifer up with her. He avoided her eyes, downcast and ashamed. Chloe lifted his head up by his chin, looking into his eyes, “You alright?” 

He nodded, swallowing anxiously, but he at least didn’t flinch at her touch. She smiled at him, and told him he could get a shower if he wanted while she went to wake Trixie up. He agreed to her suggestion, and they both stood up. His hands still at her waist, she raised her eyebrows when she saw his hands fisting her shirt, and he blushed. Yet, his hands did not move from their spot. She chuckled, and told him he can come with when she sent Trixie to school, and then they can both come back here and hang out. 

“I took the day off. I think I deserve a break. Don’t you?” He looked at the ground, looking extremely shy, and nodded. Reassured that they wouldn’t part ways in a couple hours, he let her shirt go, and headed upstairs to shower. 


	4. Chapter 4 - Cooking

“He looks fine!” Linda leaned her hip on the island and observed Lucifer by the stove behind me. I mimicked her pose.

“He does, doesn’t he? He’s been somewhat…restless…whenever I touch him, but he’s stopped flinching and has started seeking my touch out. But he’s still not reaching out to me and initiating touch himself.” I furrowed my eyebrows.

Linda only raised her eyebrows. 

“You’ve got to give him time…” I nodded at her words, but I couldn’t help but confide in her my worries. 

“It’s just…” I started, glancing behind me and gazing at Lucifer’s back, admiring how he was able to juggle pan frying different things in three different pans perfectly. 

“Before we were together, he was confident, you know?” I told Linda, “He just takes things from me easily. It was annoying, but he was never mean about it. He just sometimes snatches my documents out of my hands, or he drinks my coffee. Or something minor and harmless. But when I found out about him being a…an angel…and started dating him, he has been _asking_ instead of taking. But I figured it was just him, being sweet, since we started dating and it’s not abnormal for guys to become sweet and gentlemanly when they’re trying to please someone. But when this whole…thing about the courting started…he’s stopped asking!” 

Linda pursed her lips as she processed the information. “You mean he started just taking things again?” 

“No! That’s the problem! He has gone from confident, to sweet, to downright insecure. He is now _begging_ to be given permission for everything. He _begged_ me to cook today! He _begged_ me to be allowed to come to this party! He was _surprised _that I agreed! Linda! It’s like…he had lost all confidence in my regard for him. But…I’m dating him! Shouldn’t that make him more confident…not even more insecure?”

“In his case, I believe it is the exact opposite.” She started. But then she hesitated. I opened my mouth, wanting to persuade her to tell me whatever she’s talking about.

“What do you mean?” I prompted. She seemed to have made up her mind then, and started to explain her thoughts.

“Lucifer has never had many people he cared about as much as he does you. As far as I know, the last person he devoted this much of his heart to was his Father.” She rolled her eyes. “Imagine _that_. Talking about God in our everyday boyfriend conversations.”

I giggled a little at that. Linda is understanding and a very stable rock in the middle of all our tremulous relationship problems. But when her sense of humor sprouts, it was hilarious. She continued after sharing an amused laugh with me.

“But the last time, he was essentially thrown out for asking for something…in his current relationship with you, it is possible he is scared of being thrown out again for asking for something you might not want to give.” She stared at me intensely, as if willing me to understand something.

I thought about it, and eventually I couldn’t help but agree. His past relationship with his Father is a reasonable explanation to his behavior. But that also implies that…he thinks me more important than his Father…

I furrowed my eyebrows at that discovery.

Despite his Father’s disapproval, Lucifer persisted with his request for free will. If he bowed down, and conceded to being God’s soldier once more, he probably wouldn’t receive such a harsh punishment. I mean…Amenadiel has broken quite a few rules, and he hasn’t been thrown out of heaven. 

But with me…he didn’t even resist whatever I said. In fact, he has been acting as if he would retreat anytime I seem to disapprove his actions. Even if he wanted something, he never fought for them. I stared at Lucifer’s back as these thoughts ran through my mind. He…must be so terrified of my leaving. If Linda were right, then Lucifer is placing my needs and my wants way up high in his list of priorities. Tears welled up as I felt touched at his feelings for me. 

Lucifer plated his dishes and turned around, then he looked straight at me. He must have noticed the moisture in my eyes, because he hurriedly placed the dishes on the counter and walked towards me. 

“Detective?” He tentatively asked, “What’s wrong?” 

His hand was hovering above my shoulders and he was obviously unsure if he was allowed to place it on me. I held his hand and brought it to my lips, kissing his knuckles before holding him together with both my hands. He gasped and took a deep breath. 

“Detective?” He croaked past his throat. It must be really dry. 

I smiled at him and stroked his hand with my thumb. I shook my head at his questioning eyes, and then led him back into the kitchen with a glance at Linda. Linda waved and strolled towards the rest of the tribe to mingle. 

I went towards his newly cooked dishes, and saw mouth watering scallop and prawn pasta and crispy skin pan-fried salmon. He said he wanted our dinner to be special, even when everyone is outside eating food that he grilled on the barbecue pit. I gestured for him to sit down, and sat down myself. He hovered for a few moments before obliging, and I turned my focus to the food. I know he must be really nervous about my reaction to his creation, and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I sent him another smile before twisting a fork in the pasta and taking a mouthful. 

I have to admit. Out of all his talents, his skill in the kitchen is one of the best I have ever known. I mean, he’s a great singer, a great investigator, a very successful businessman, but I have seen other good ones as well. But he must be the best cook that has ever cooked for me! Even food in the restaurants cannot compare. I moaned as I chewed past the mouthful of noodles, then forked another mouth straightaway. 

I tilted and angled my head to look at him, and caught his shy grin as he took his first mouth of salmon. I guess my reaction was good enough then! I took his free hand into mine, and held him on my lap. He started, but let me do as I pleased, as always, and peeked at me through his lashes, pretending to be focused on his dinner. I chuckled as I leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. 

He stiffened in surprise, but then shot me a tearful and grateful look. Oh…how that breaks my heart as much as fills it. Why did he need to be grateful for a kiss? As if it was a treasure instead of something couples share frequently. I turned my head back towards my food, but my throat has run dry. 

“Do…do you not like the pasta?” He asked softly, “I…I can trade with you! Or…or I can make something else for you! What do you feel like eating? I’ll make anything you want…p…please…”

His words cut me deep every time I hear the uncertain tone it takes. He adds please at the end of every sentence he speaks to me, and this situation…please don’t tell me he’s begging for a chance to make amends. He made dinner for me, if I don’t like it, we could just laugh it off! There wasn’t any need to remake anything! In fact…he should be more confident in his Iron Chef skill. How is it he still thinks the fault lies in him?

Yet I couldn’t tell him what I was truly upset about. He would only blame himself. He would start monitoring his reactions, and I didn’t want to force him to stop. If he was uncomfortable, he should be allowed to express it. Not suppress his reactions. 

When I failed to respond after a few minutes, when I took too long contemplating his predicament, Lucifer has started to tremble. I snapped my attention back to him, and heard his mutters of “I’m sorry” repeated again and again. I felt my eyes widened as I stood up.

“Lucifer!” I cupped his face with both hands and tilted his head up. “Hey…hey I’m not angry. I promise.” But his trembles persisted. His eyes welled up and he swallowed compulsively.

“I…I didn’t mean to make something you don’t like…I promise! If…if you don’t like…” I shook my head and cut him off.

“No…no Lucifer, I love the pasta. It’s very nice. I promise, I’m not angry with you ok? Shhhhh, just breathe with me.” I pulled him close and let him snuggle into the crook of my neck as I stroked his hair and the nape of his neck. 

“You’re fine. Don’t worry. We’re fine. I’m not angry. Breathe for me.” I soothed him as well as I could.

He sobbed a little, and gasped as he took in air. I let him take his time calming down, and eventually his sobs turned in sniffles. Gradually, it became the occasional nuzzle.

“Ok?” I asked, and he nodded. I let his head go, and he leaned back. He was looking down, probably embarrassed, and I leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

“Let’s eat, hmmm?” He nodded at my suggestion slightly, and I couldn’t help thinking how endearing he was at that time. Shy, and a little abashed.

I sat down and turned back towards my food, and let out another moan. I felt a tug at my sleeve right after that.

“Hmmm?” I asked with my mouth full, and took a look at him.

He looked up at me, saw my attention on him and immediately looked back down. He fidgeted a little before asking his question.

“Could I…maybe…if you’d allow it…” I let him take his time, as I did every time he was gathering his nerves to ask for something.

“May I cook for you everyday? Please? I’ll make sure to cook what you like always! And…and and I won’t make a mess in the kitchen, and I will clean myself up…and” and I stopped him right there. 

“Of course you can! I love eating your food, Lucifer. And don’t worry about making a mess. If you cook, then I’ll be in charge of washing the dishes and cleaning up.” 

His eyes widened and he tried to protest, but I shot him a stern look, and he visibly deflated. 

“Ok, Detective.”


	5. Chapter 5

### Chapter 5 – Grooming

Lucifer bit his lips as he contemplated the living area of his penthouse. The Detective has mentioned wanting to come over for a night while Daniel has the spawn. No…Beatrice. The Detective doesn’t like him referring to the little human as spawn. He has moved the furniture around dozens of times, but somehow it didn’t seem as inviting as he hoped it could. Comparing it with the Detective’s cozy home…his is just…cold. He furrowed his brows, and went straight into the bedroom for more blankets, rolling his shoulders subconsciously.

He heard the ding of the elevator before he turned around to see the Detective walking in holding bags of unknown stuff. He strode towards her quickly and relieved her of the burden.

“Detective! I should have gone down and waited for you! What’s all this?” He asked boisterously, reminding Chloe of how confident he was before all this started. His timidity only started after she reacted thoughtlessly to his affections. The display of his confidence helped her relieve a little of that guilt.

“Well, I wanted to cook for you. So I got some groceries.” She was hoping that would make him happy, but his reaction baffled her all the more. He turned back around, thankfully he had already placed the items on the kitchen counter, and he looked at Chloe with utter despair.

“I…I thought you said I could…” Tears welling up in his eyes, he tried hard to regulate his breathing. Has he done something wrong? Did he make something the Detective disliked? He thought he was doing so well! Why did she desire to take this particular joy from him? She…she gave him permission to cook for her, he remembered. What made her so angry so as to take it back?

Chloe was stunned at his sudden change of mood. His prior confidence has vanished, and in its place only trembles and insecurity was left. She stepped up to him and cupped his face.

“Hey…sweetheart. What’s wrong? I just wanted to cook for you, is all. Did you not want me to?” She said in a soft and gentle voice. Lucifer, unable to believe how gentle she is being, considering he must have angered her to have a privilege taken from him. At least she’s still touching him.

“I…did I do something wrong, Detective?” Lucifer asked softly, not daring to make eye contact.

“No! No, you didn’t. Why do you think that?”

“Then why…” Lucifer started, but unsure how to ask his question without seeming too ungrateful, he cut himself off. Chloe’s ministrations on his cheek encouraged him though, and at her questioning hum, he continued.

“I…I thought I was doing well…and I didn’t upset you. But…am I…not allowed to cook for you anymore? Did…did I make you something you don’t like?” He took a breath, “I promise it won’t happen again! I…I will do better! Please don’t take back your permission. I…” Lucifer was ready to launch into a fit of begging and groveling and maybe, if the Detective allowed, some kneeling even. But the sudden attack on his lips, with her perfectly soft and tempting ones, only served to draw his entire being’s attention to her. He stood frozen, unsure how he should respond to keep her there willingly, and prolong the perfect moment. Who knows when he’d get to experience it again?

After what felt like 2 milliseconds, but was actually quite a few minutes, the Detective pulled herself away, breathing deeply and leaning against him.

“Don’t be stupid.” She admonished him softly, tapping his cheek with her fingers. He looked down immediately at her words, but she lifted his chin back up.

“I wanted to cook for you, because you’ve made me so happy with your pampering, and I’d like you to experience it at my hands as well. I want you to be happy, and I thought cooking for you would accomplish that. That’s the only reason.” She’s said a lot, but Lucifer only caught on to one part of the sentences.

“I…I make you happy?” Chloe smiled amusedly as she wondered if he heard anything else she said. She nodded and grinned as he smiled back at her like she was the light of his world. She probably is, she mused in her mind.

Deeming the Devil suitable soothed and reassured, Chloe stepped to the side and towards the many ingredients she lugged up to his penthouse. She was planning to shock him with her culinary prowess after all. Lucifer stared at her, uncomfortable with the fact that she was doing all the work and he was only sitting there. Chloe looked up at him and smiled, but he could only give her a grimace.

They ended up getting the food ready together. Chloe was as helpless in the kitchen as ever, and Lucifer had tentatively asked for her permission to help. Well, help he did! He subtly directed the Detective to simpler tasks as he slowly took over almost every other task. Chloe let him think she didn’t notice his little attempt at saving her pride while saving their meal, but she let herself smile at his adorable actions anyway. Lucifer only thought she was happy with their activities.

They sat in the entirely transformed living room, where all the furniture were pushed to the sides, and piles upon piles of pillows and blankets are arranged in a cozy circle. As unsatisfied as Lucifer had been with his efforts, the Detective was delighted with the arrangements. She gleefully sat on the pillows, placing her plate of baked potatoes on the floor beside her, grinning up at Lucifer as he did the same. As Lucifer sat down though, he rolled his shoulders once more subconsciously, and Chloe turned her grin upside down. He’s been doing that for the past hour. They spent a big part of their day just enjoying each other’s company. Jokes and teases and just chatting. And yet, Chloe’s mind couldn’t seem to unsee the stiff way Lucifer has been holding his shoulders.

Lucifer has of course noticed how Chloe frowns at him from time to time, but she bounced back to chatting within seconds each time, and he didn’t dare ask what was wrong. The Detective told him he was allowed to cook, and sing, and touch her. He didn’t think he has broken any rules yet. He was sure he would eventually, but he was being extra careful, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t messed up yet. So what was she upset about then?

They were done with their food, and Lucifer hasn’t let up with his uncomfortable fidgeting. Chloe could no longer hold it in.

“What’s wrong?” She blurted out, and Lucifer could only stare at her uncomprehendingly.

“Nothing’s wrong…” Lucifer replied with a hint of bewilderment. Chloe was determined to get her answers though.

“You’ve been holding your shoulders stiffly the whole time I was here, and you’ve been shifting your shoulders and grimacing at the same time as well. You tried leaning back on the couch that one time, and you got back up immediately. Now, tell me what is wrong.” A little too much force was used with the last few words, but the Detective could no longer keep it in. Was he hiding something from her again? But the frown that appeared on his face was genuine and puzzled, and Chloe was taken aback by his total ignorance of what she has just described.

“I’m…afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Detective…Chloe. I haven’t been doing all of that! I mean…I was uncomfortable leaning on my back, but that was only because of my…” He cut himself off right there, and Chloe narrowed her eyes.

“What? Because of your what?”

Lucifer looked away from her, and pursed his lips. Having been used to the Devil’s immediate compliance whenever she asked for anything, his sudden refusal to answer her question startled her. No one knew better than her how he feared her ire. She was curious, really _really_ curious, but if he was that reluctant to talk about it, then maybe she shouldn’t press.

She reached to touch his face, but he flinched away from her. He shouldn’t have refused to answer her. That was irrational, and utterly stupid! Why did he _do _that? Why would he risk her anger? He hurriedly tried to make amends, blurting out his answer before she could reassure him of her continued affections.

“S…sorry! My wings, because of my wings. I’m sorry, I…it’s just that I…” He didn’t want her to see his wings, as disarrayed and ungroomed as they were. They were hardly the perfect pristine awe-inspiring large white wings she would be expecting. He lowered his head, and the detective’s hands finally reached his face, tilting his head back up.

“Your wings? What’s wrong with your wings? Are they hurt? Are _you_ hurt?” Seeing the worry in her eyes, Lucifer rushed to reassure her.

“Not hurt, per se…but maybe…a little uncomfortable. It’s just…I’ve just gotten them back, and I forgot how stiff it would make me to have them there constantly, utterly ungroomed and messy and out of place…” He waited for the Detective to dismiss his discomfort, as many of his siblings has done, but his detective has never done what he expected. She tilted her head, as if considering him, and asked, “Ungroomed, and messy?”

He blushed, thinking of how imperfect he was, now his wings, that he didn’t want mind you, was making his imperfection even more prominent. How unsightly must his wings be, how…undesirable…

He nodded in response, ashamed at his ugliness.

“Take them out.” She said. And he jerked his head up to stare at her in shock. She wants him to…what?!

She nodded encouragingly, and as always, he couldn’t refuse anything she asked of him. He bit his lips as he moved to a suitable position, and let the wings out, unfurling them as if they had always been there. It slipped out from the bottom, flapping a little as they stretched, and he groaned at the freedom. It’s been a while since he used them.

The Detective stood up and peered at them, and as much as he wanted to hide them immediately, he endured the scrutiny. She looked at one of the slightly angled feathers, and without thought, reached out to straighten it along the other feathers. Lucifer abruptly let out a long whine that sounded something like the combination of a groan and a moan. She jerked her hand back, immediately apologizing for touching his wings.

“No…no Detective. Don’t apologise…I just…haven’t felt that for…_eons_.” She studied his slightly pinched expression, and realized it was _longing_ she saw. Was this something he needed, but the way he talked about it, it seemed like he never groomed his wings before.

“That’s because it’s something angels do to show love. To groom oneself would be to admit how lonely one has to be.” He whispered. She felt a stab in her heart. Did he suffer through this lack of consideration since his fall?

“Well…not exactly since my fall…” She turned her head towards his face in shock, but he continued as if she hadn’t move at all, “They ostracized me when Father decided I was to help him with his secret project. They were jealous I was the favourite…they never knew…how I dread his daily meetings…but they thought my ungratefulness didn’t deserve their regard.”

Chloe felt tears rising up and filling her eyes, deciding to overlook her tendency to say things she was thinking out loud in the face of something as severe as Lucifer’s pain. How could any family do this to one of their own members? She swiped at her eyes angrily, and told Lucifer to lie down on the floor amongst the pillows and blankets. He glanced at her briefly, but did as he was told, as always. She told him to spread his wings, and she sat down between his left wing and his hip after he complied. She reached over and straightened two more feathers, and felt his shivers as he moaned freely this time.

She would see his wings groomed, and show him he was loved. He didn’t need those bastards for family, he would have enough love from her. And if it wasn’t enough, then she would just have to love him more wouldn’t she?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you I would finish up all my fics at some point:) I hope you like how it all goes!!!

### Chapter 6 – Grooming Part II

Chloe lifts her hand up before she continued, resting it on his lower back instead. Lucifer gave out a questioning hum, twisting around to try and look at her, anxiously wanting to figure out what was wrong. But she only patted his back and he settled.

“Do you know what’s happening to you, Lucifer?” She started. His back stiffened, and he realizes just how well the Detective has manipulated this situation. For currently, he could not see her face, nor any of her reactions, but she could clearly feel his every tension. If that’s not enough, his wings are the perfect tools, betraying his every emotion effectively and efficiently. His anxiety has already made them slightly tremble.

“Lucifer?” She prompted. Whatever, no matter how she manipulated him, he didn’t care anyway. He was hers, and her manipulation was a much easier pill to swallow than his Father’s. She stroked his back, and he settled down on the pillows as he got ready to explain. He couldn’t see her, and this position made it easy for her to hurt him, but he was so far gone that he would stay still and let her do whatever she wants with him anyway, so really, there wasn’t any difference from how he wanted her to know this.

“I…I might be in the middle of…a courting ritual.” He replied. Chloe wasn’t shocked at his revelation. He knew what was going on, there was no way he didn’t know. He wasn’t a helpless lamb, he was the Devil. Even if he wasn’t evil or all the rubbish the world has tagged on him, he was still the King of Hell. He couldn’t have survived if he remained ignorant of all that was happening in heaven. He had to keep tabs on what was happening. He wouldn’t be so confident of his ability to take on Amenadiel or his mother when they came and caused all those trouble if he didn’t.

She patted his back once more, to reassure him of her lack of anger, and reached to straighten another few of his feathers. And he moaned, loudly and freely, settling into this conversation. He’s picked up on it then, how this conversation would be going. Lucifer smiled at his Detective’s creativity. Ha! She knew what was happening as well! She groomed his feathers even though she knew! She touched him and soothed him and oh gosh….she was _perfect. _

Lucifer’s confidence came back in full force. The insecurity and anxiety from before instantly disappeared, and what was left was his infuriating smirk. Well, of course he still worried his Chloe would balk from all this divinity, and the fact that he was the Devil was always a good reason to abandon him or hurt him…but she accepted his courtship! She’s going to go through with it! He felt grateful and happy and just overwhelmingly touched.

“And…when were you planning to tell me?” Chloe asked. And he tensed. Shit…that sounded like something she could be angry for. But…but he didn’t mean to. He was derailed by all those feelings and insecurity and fear, and before he could tell her, she had banished him to his home and he didn’t dare say anything since. He opened his mouth to try and redeem himself. He couldn’t lie, of course…but how could he word this so he wouldn’t accidentally imply that it was the detective’s fault for sending him home?

He felt a smack at his easily reachable bottom, and he jerked up in shock. Chloe’s indignant sniff caused him to turn and see her face, but her tapping on his lower back told him all he needed to know. He settled back down, biting his lips as he contemplated if she was mad. He felt the overwhelming pleasure of her love as she straightened a few more feathers, and he relaxed in a groan. He’s gotten his reward…so she’s pleased?

Chloe thinks how decidedly sexy he looks lying there all displayed and ready for her to do anything. She should have remembered how incapable of hurting her Lucifer has always been. Even explaining something as simple as “it’s her fault for being thoughtless” was flooring him so entirely. He was thinking through every word before he says them out loud. Lucifer melted into the pillows as he realized she knew him better than he thought.

“And…this mind reading thing?”

“Mm…part of the bond.” He replied, ensured she wouldn’t leave. She was really going to stay! She’s merely gave him a light smack on his ass when she was annoyed. She was such a perfect mate. He smiled and snuggled even more into the pillows underneath him, but jerked when he felt another smack. Mm hmm, his Detective was a feisty one.

“Anything else I should know? Amenadiel wasn’t very helpful, and I had a feeling the Devil would be able to explain things a lot better.” Her hand was back at his lower back, and he whined a little. She let out a giggle, and reached over to straighten a few more feathers, before settling back to lean against his back.

“We would eventually share a number of abilities. I’m not sure how it would be like for a union between Devil and human, but when two Angels mate, they were able to share each other’s affinity to their gifts. They were also able to hear and speak with their minds to each other, and I heard the sex was amazing.” He wriggled his ass as he said that, and Chloe was surprised at his ability to move suggestively even in such a limited position. She smacked him for spite, then again for good measure.

“Detective!” He positively whined, “You’re being mean!” She laughed at his affronted tone. She was surprised at how comfortable they were with each other at this point. He hasn’t reduced into a pool of tears like he would before this started, and she was confident he was back to normal. How glad she was at this development. She loved her Lucifer confident and prowling like a predator amongst little fluffy bunnies, not one that thought he was one of those bunnies!

“I’m not a bunny!” He yelped! And he received another smack for that. It was worth it though, for the Detective’s delightful laugh trumps everything.

“What else is in the ritual?” She continued.

“I’d likely want to make sure my scent is all over you, to mark my territory…so to speak.” He sounded a little hesitant at this point, and Chloe could tell he was holding something back. She stroked his back as he gathered his courage, and continued, “I would be very very…persistent…begging for it even…to…lay in bed with you.” She felt him tense again, and his wings drooped in sadness. Did he think this relationship could be a platonic, non-sexual one? What would he think she could be angry at?

“Ok…I don’t think I can resist you any longer anyway.”

Chloe reached over and started grooming his wings in earnest, satisfied with his answers for now. And it was all Lucifer could do to stay still, the pleasure she instilled in him so intense and unprecedented from what he had ever felt.

When she was done with the one side, and Lucifer was trembling with a whole hour of orgasmic pleasure, she stood up, stepped over him and settled on the other side. The whole process was serene for her. She loved how he writhed and twisted whenever she hit a sensitive spot. She reached out and started the right wing, and the Devil, left breathing heavily atop pillows before, started trembling with pleasure again. She smiled at his reaction, and felt oddly content doing this for him. It must be so long since he felt any such joy, she had to make sure he received it from her often from now on.

Lucifer basked in the Detective’s attention, his eyes drooping, but the waves of pleasure keeping him from falling asleep entirely. When she was finally done, it had been a couple more hours past. And looking at Lucifer now, she’s suddenly dissatisfied with the amount of clothes he had on. She grinned as she leant over, he was so out of it he didn’t notice at all. She stretched a little, and softly…blew into his ear. And he shoot up in shock. She fell back onto the pillows in laughter and he glared at her disgruntledly. Really, he just looked like he was pouting.

She was so happy at this moment, that he trusted her enough to want to bond with her, and that she had finally found the courage to commit to him. It was tremendous, the amount of joy she felt within her at this moment. She pulled him by his shirt collar, and met his pouting lips with her own just as she had done before. Lucifer froze in surprise, and unlike before, he immediately grinned into the kiss and deepened it, throwing himself into it like never before. She was…drowning in his passion.

“Lucifer,” she whispered as she broke their kiss, the Devil immediately latching his lips onto her neck, “I love you.” Lucifer paused in his ministrations, lifted his head to look at her intensely. They shared an intense emotional moment, one where they both realized how ridiculous the years of insecurity was. They were loved, and appreciated, and they couldn’t deny the pull any longer. They fell atop the mountain of blankets and pillows, entangling their bodies, pieces of clothing thrown out of the pile every now and then.

* * *

Hours later, a blast of light energy lighted the skies of Los Angeles.

Maze and Linda looked up as they walked towards Linda’s home carrying bags and bags of goods from their shopping trip.

“What was that?” The doctor asked. Maze grinned at her and laughed seconds later.

“Maze?” Linda was getting worried about her friend’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“They did it. They finally did the deed!”

* * *

Amenadiel stared at the sky on the rooftop of an unknown building.

“Oh…Detective Decker…what have you done?” He couldn’t understand it at all. He warned her, _explicitly_. Now she’s stuck with his devil of a brother. He would have to hasten. Find a way to break the bond, save the detective from her foolishness. He would have clean up Lucifer’s mess, as always. What a bother.


	7. Chapter 7

### Chapter 7 – Scent

Lucifer woke up to the sunlight shining through his huge balcony onto the living room. He squinted his eyes and sighed as he opened them, and as disoriented and out of it as he was, the view in front of him cannot be more perfect. The Detective was lying right there, in his arms, facing him and breathing evenly. He shuffled closer as sniffed her hair, and snuggled closer. The Detective frowned and turned her face into the pillows, and Lucifer realized the sun was shining right on her face. He turned and glared at the offending sunlight. How dare it disturb the Detective’s sleep! He carefully extracted a hand from her grasp, and grabbed a pillow, holding it up above her so it blocks the sunlight.

Chloe woke up to a comfortable sore about her body. She lifted her head a little, and opened her eyes, but saw not the Devil that she expected. She saw instead, a floating pillow right above her. She frowned as she puzzled over the odd phenomenon. Since when do pillows float. She looked around, and saw the Devil dozing in an uncomfortable position, his elbow propped up just above her head, holding a pillow up to block the sunlight. She smiled at how sweet he was. She startled when he snorted and jerked a little, his eyes flew open and looked directly at his hand holding up the pillow, adjusting it’s angle before checking if the sun was shining at his Detective. But when he saw the Detective’s eyes staring right back at him, his lips slowly formed a wide grin.

“Detective! You’re awake!” He looked so delighted that she couldn’t believe she had ever thought he couldn’t deal with commitment. Look how well he is doing. She matched his grin with one of her own, and pulled him down for a kiss.

“Good morning…” She greeted him, and he happily responded with a similar greeting before leaning down to kiss her on her forehead.

“I’ll go make us some breakfast. I’ve prepared everything in the bathroom, you can wash up in there.” He told the Detective before pushing himself up and kneeling before her, giving her a hand as well. She offered her right hand, and he pulled her to a sitting position, the blanket slipping off her body smoothly in the process. Lucifer stared at her suggestively, wriggled his eyebrows and grinned. Chloe laughed at him and swatted him on the biceps before standing up, walking to the bathroom in the nude, tempting the Devil as he stared at her greedily. She smiled as she listened to his repetitive thoughts: _She’s gorgeous._

Nobody has made her feel as secure as she felt now, as loved as she felt now. It was bad practice to compare current lovers with past ones, but she couldn’t help it. Even the sex was better. She grinned again. Lucifer is corrupting her.

Chloe walked out to see Lucifer flitting around the kitchen, busy as hell, making breakfast that has to be the most extravagant, luxurious breakfast ever. She smiles as she hears his happy humming. He looks so happy at this moment, she hopes she could keep him this happy for a long long time. She sat down in front of the myriad of foods, there were pancakes, souffles, omelets, french toasts, and what in the world was he still doing in the kitchen? There was enough food for a dozen people! She got ready to call him, but before she could do that, he stepped right in front of her and placed a cup of coffee before her.

“Just how you like it.” He smiled sweetly, and she leaned up to kiss him at the corner of his lips before picking up a fork and digging in.

Just as Lucifer settled down opposite her and started eating as well, the elevator pinged its arrival.

“Lucifer! How could you! You are as selfish as always, making me do all the work while you indulge in your corrupted ways. You haven’t changed at all have you? You’re just as…” Amenadiel strode right into the penthouse without pause, firing off infuriating accusations with his mouth. Lucifer, never a quiet one before his brother, just sat there, lips slightly parted in surprise.

Lucifer was slightly angered at his brother’s words, but ever since the Detective has found out about his true nature, it has become second nature for him to dial his violence down three or four notches. So he restrained himself, he restricted himself. Chloe had no such restrains, however. Angel or not, Amenadiel was the biggest bastard to have ever graced her existence.

“Are you serious right now?” She got up and walked right up to him, aggressive, and feisty, and…worrying. Lucifer stood up quickly to be ready as a buffer if she ever got herself hurt, but not to stop her tirade. He would never act against her freedom.

“Detective Decker, I informed you of what you had to avoid! How could you let this happen? You’d be stuck with him for all eternity from now on! You…” As far as Angels go… as old as they are, being slapped must still be novel experience. Amenadiel stared at Chloe, stunned.

“Did you have to come here and ruin it?” The Detective hissed. Oh…she was mad. _Real _mad. Lucifer gulped as he remembered the numerous times he was opposite the Detective while she unleashed her anger with a tongue lashing. He still couldn’t forget the most recent one. He didn’t think he would dare do anything to warrant that much anger ever.

“I was perfectly happy, I had a great date, a nice meal, I had fun grooming _my _Devil’s wings, and then I had the best sex of my life. I was enjoying the granddaddy of afterglows up until I started the most luxurious breakfast I have ever had the joy of eating. And _you_, with your holier-than-thou attitude, _dare accuse my lover_ of selfishness? Does. This. Look. Like. Selfishness. To. You?” Lucifer’s lips twitched as he inched forward, reaching over to pull the Detective towards him. She rounded towards him in response, and he immediately leaned back, wariness flashed in his eyes before he blinked it away.

A pang ached in her heart, and the Detective softened her eyes as she held his hands and intertwined their fingers.

“Come on Lucifer, ignore him. I need to pick Trixie up in a couple hours from Dan’s.” She turned away, pulling him along. But he paused and pulled her back.

“But…Detective! You haven’t finished your breakfast! Why don’t you sit down and finish up, I’ll make sure Amendiel leaves.” He smiled at her boyishly, and led her right back to her seat. Charmed, Chloe allowed him to lead her back to her breakfast, and she picked up her fork again.

In the meantime, Lucifer turned towards Amenadiel, intending to throw him out before he says anything to ruin the day even more. It’s his first day as a bonded, it wouldn’t do for his brother to ruin it all.

“Amendiel! Don’t you have something more important to do? Following Dad’s orders perhaps? Off you go! Nobody needs you here!” Lucifer started to push his brother into the elevator, but Amenadiel was having none of it. He gave Lucifer a harsh shove, causing his lost of balance.

“How could you be so blasé with Detective Decker’s life?! You claimed you love her, but in actual fact, you’re just using her aren’t you? You’re using her as an excuse to stay up here, avoiding your responsibility, disobeying Father as always. Why did I ever think you could change? It was wishful thinking, I’d admit, but I didn’t think you could disappoint me so thoroughly.”

“Get out.” Amenadiel recoiled, shocked at the unbelievable words spoken to him in such anger. “I said, get out.” The Detective seethed at his words. She couldn’t contain her anger any longer, and a stream of light was gathering at her fingertips. She let instinct take over, and swiped her hand in his direction, letting a beam of light shoot across the room like a boomerang right into Amenadiel’s chest. Shocked at the Detective’s effective attack, he didn’t react when he slumped into the elevator, and Lucifer pressed on the 1st floor button in the elevator before stepping out, sending him down quickly.

“Detective!” He grinned. That was the first time anyone defended him, but what made him really happy wasn’t just that. His defender wasn’t someone he needed to protect and receive all the blows for either, not that he would complain, but was someone who could hold her own. Look at her! “You were amazing!”

“Erm…Lucifer…how do I…how do I make it stop?” She sounded like she was panicking. She reached for him, but a stream of light shot right through him, and she screamed in despair. What had she done!

She rushed towards him, keeping her hands by her chest, unwilling to move them anymore. Lucifer opened up his arms and pulled her into a warm hug.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head darling. Your powers have to have come from me. I wouldn’t be hurt by it.” She looked up at him tearfully, and then checked his body. Sure enough, there was a hole in his suit, but underneath, the smooth skin of his abs was unmarked. She breathed a laughing sigh of relief, and leaned into his embrace.

“I don’t think I should pick Trixie up today…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many of you were happy that I've started updating regularly again. I'm glad to announce there is only one more chapter of this fic. I hope you all like this as much as I did!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know I said this is the last chapter, but I really am planning to continue with writing some oneshots or short stories about some adventures they had within the 300 years together. Well...if you're interested, subscribe to the series! But what I intended to achieve with this fanfiction is all accomplished, and that's why I'm ending this. I do have some ideas for the oneshots though, so don't worry, you'll definitely get more from this particular storyline!
> 
> Thank you for being with me throughout the whole story! Subscribe to the series if you want to be notified of anything new in this universe!

### Chapter 8 – Home

“Darling!” Lucifer grab Chloe’s hands as she stomped away from him. She whirled around to glare at him.

“What? What could you possibly say to make this better?” Oh boy…she was _really_ angry. Lucifer gulped, but even through his fear of his Queen’s anger, he couldn’t help the uncontrollable twitch of his lips. Chloe scowled and went ahead with stomping off, and Lucifer doubled in laughter.

Today was their 300th anniversary, and his darling Queen had prepared herself for him this day. She had worn a scanty sheriff uniform, and waited in a suggestive position on their bed. But what she didn’t realise the Devil had made plans too. He had ordered a romantic meal and wine to be delivered to their hotel room, complete with chocolates and…well…whipped cream. The room service had knocked on the door several times, and Chloe, thinking it was Lucifer being weirdly formal during this special day, had given permission for whoever was outside to go in.

It was a sight to remember, when Lucifer walked in and saw the awkward way the room service was standing in the middle of the room, jaw-dropped and frozen in place, and his darling was dressed in such a delicious way, glaring at the poor boy, sparks flying about between her fingers. He should be jealous and protective and angry at the boy’s continuous staring, but he could only find the situation pretty funny. He ushered the boy out and turned around, but his darling had already focused her glare on him.

Staring at the closed bathroom door now, he sighed. Today was supposed to be about making her happy, now she’s terribly embarrassed, and even though he knew it was all an accident, he did indirectly cause her discomfort. As funny as the situation was, he never wanted that. He knocked on the door.

“Darling? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh…it’s just…you’ve never been in such situation before, being so reserved and harboring the heart of an old woman…”

“That is _not_ helping your case!” Came her sharp retort and Lucifer winced. Right, she’s angrily embarrassed.

“Come now…darling, there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. Your assets are as drop dead gorgeous as ever!” The door reopened then, and her Queen stood there in all her glory, glaring at me, fiery red eyes burning at me as she growled.

“…I hate you!” Lucifer only grinned at her declaration. He leaned forward and pecked her on the lips.

“You love me.” He said smugly, at the same time stroking her along her waist the way she liked it and telling him with his actions that he appreciated her efforts for their anniversary. “Let me show you how much I love you too.” He whispered against her skin.

* * *

Chloe woke up to gun shots a few metres away. She rolled her eyes as she sat up on the bed, listening to her surroundings to confirm what she heard.

“What is it now? Can’t a Queen just sleep for a whole night without some crisis happening around her?!” She groaned in resignation. Tired of how her day looked to be turning out, she plopped back down on the bed, hoping the gunmen would leave this room alone.

Lucifer groaned in protest when her actions bumped him in the arm. He snuggled closer to her and mumbled, “What’s going on?”

“Just some huge heist going down in the vault of the hotel. It’s ok babe, go on and continue sleeping.” She assured him. He nodded slightly and proceeded to deepen his breathing. But only two seconds later, and his breathing hitched, and he shot up into the vertical with shocking alacrity.

“The vault?!” He stared at her, shocked. Chloe furrowed her eyebrows as took in his reaction.

“Why? Did you put something in the vault?” Lucifer frowned at her question, before looking down dejectedly.

“I…” the Queen of Hell stared at her life partner for moments, and suddenly understood his reluctance to tell her anything. While she had no qualms lying to him when she doesn’t want to tell him something, and he lets her even though he can tell, he still held himself to the alarming standard of absolutely no lies at all. Whenever he had a surprise waiting for her, more often than not…it’d fail, just because she’d ask him what’s wrong whenever he acted weird in his attempts to hide something from her. Whatever was in the vault, taking into account the event they were celebrating, it wasn’t hard to understand what was going on.

Chloe smiled at Lucifer and intertwined their hands.

“Let’s go give these guys some trouble then.” And Lucifer beamed at her like how he always does whenever she gives him a glimpse of her understanding and love for him.

* * *

The leader of a group of masked man pointed at two other guys, then at the two sides of the door in front of them. The two guys ran ahead and positioned themselves at their position, and one of them stuck a device at the electronic lock attached to the handle of the door. After a few moments, the door unlocked, and one of the guys nodded at the leader. The leader nodded once, and smugly, walked right up to the door and touched the handle. Finally, after days of scouting and planning, he was at the door leading to the vault lock. He’d memorized the vault design and was confident he could open it within minutes, he was literally one step away from getting that item. It would bring him so much money, even after giving his team their cut.

He twisted the door handle and strode in like he owned the place, his men following him, and the two guys stayed at the door to look out for guards or security.

“Oh…there’s only like twenty of them…I’m disappointed. Is this all that’s needed to steal…well to steal from _this_ vault? I expected more from this hotel, really, I chose it precisely because of its claims to have the best vault in the country.” A male voice sounded.

“I told you not to believe TV ads sweetheart.” A female voice replied.

“Yes…well…but this was important! I didn’t think they’d misinform us with something _this _important.”

“Well…you thought wrong.”

“Sigh…I suppose I did, didn’t I darling?”

“Who’s there?!” The leader voiced, looking around the room searching for the owners of those voices. The room was well lit, there weren’t that many places to hide. There was only the vault door, and a desk and some chairs in the room. Where could they be? He looked around once more, and saw a slight shadow on the floor right in front of him. His shoulders tensed.

“Oooooh! This is a clever one!” The male voice said.

“Well?”

“I think I should sit this one out darling.”

“You just want me to do all the work…”

“But you’re _sexy_ when you’re all hyped up like this!”

The men in the room whirled around, still searching for the strangers, but the leader stood in the middle unmoving. But suddenly, he turned the revolver he had in his hand straight above him, and fired twice.

A female jumped down from above, and landed just in front of the leader. The men noticed her immediately, and surrounded her promptly. The leader pointed his gun at her, “Where’s your partner?”

She only smiled, and the leader could feel sweat dripping down his neck.

“I will shoot you!” Her smile grew. “I’m serious!”

The female took a step towards him and one of his men fired at the ground before her. A growl suddenly sounded from above.

“Hush sweetheart.” The female tilted her head and said impatiently, and the growling stopped. Irritated at her blatant disregard of his gun pointing at her body, the leader stepped forward aggressively, and pointed the gun right at her forehead. She refocused on him, and grinned.

As fast as lightning, she grabbed the gun and squeezed, and try as he might, the leader could not fire the gun. For his fingers at the trigger were crushed along with the entire gun. The leader screamed in agony but managed to shout a command to take her down.

But he stared in despair as each men gets thrown off easily from her, and occasionally, he sees beams of light shooting through some of his men like a star wars light sabre. He could have sworn he saw her eyes glow red. He tried to backtrack, to run while his team were distracting him. He backed up until he was leaning on the door, and looking again to confirm the female was still occupied, he turned grabbed…the shirt of a man.

* * *

“Well?” Chloe said as she stepped over the writhing bodies of the some two dozen men on the ground and stood in front of the vault. Lucifer shot her a questioning glance as he stepped beside her.

“What’s my gift then?” Chloe prompted. Lucifer pouted as he complained about his Queen’s habit of ruining his fun. He touched the vault and it opened easily. He stepped inside and collected a little box sitting right on top of a pedestal. He walked back to her, standing so near they could kiss, and they both looked down at the box he was holding between them.

He slowly opened it, and Chloe gasped. It was…

“Beautiful! Lucifer! How did you…this?” She looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes.

“You said you wanted a part of you daughter with you always, and she’s happily in heaven with her beloved. But I got Amenadiel to collect something from her, the necklace you passed down to her before you died to remember you by, and I did trade a current photo of you in place of the necklace by the way, and then I…made a star…and _penetrated_ the bullet with it!” He smirked, adorably, proud of his word use. Chloe only snorted, and threw her arms around him.


End file.
